


Soulmate Marks: Late Evening

by Crack_Pair_King



Series: Soulmate Marks: a Joker and a Panther [5]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, ShuAnn Week 2k19, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-22 05:58:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19661254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crack_Pair_King/pseuds/Crack_Pair_King
Summary: After The Interrogation, all Ann wants is to be with Ren.  Fortunately she's got friends who can help.





	Soulmate Marks: Late Evening

**Author's Note:**

> You know, I do actually write happy stuff... Just apparently not for this ShuAnn week.
> 
> Edit: derp. It should be hecate, not carmen. Caught one already, feel free to comment if you spot another.... and then posted this to the summary. Not my best week it seems.

The leader of the Phantom Thieves had committed suicide. That was what every radio, every television, every conversation Ann walked past repeated. It was a pounding drumbeat, and it was one Hecate did not want to hear. The only thing either half of herself wanted to hear was the drumbeat of her soulmate's heart.

She knew he was alive. Knew it the way soulmates always knew, as though feeling the heat off a bonfire. She also knew that bonfire was weak. That he was hurt. Badly so. She- no, they'd both, felt this far too many times in the Metaverse to be ignorant now.

Her soulmate was hurt. And she wasn't there to -

Her phone rang. It was a tone she'd assigned Haru, a song by a French artist she loved back when she was in Finland. But right now Ren needed her.

Her phone buzzed. Ann wanted to ignore the message, but it buzzed again. And again. She looked down, intent on telling whoever was blowing up her phone to-

Oh. They all were. Every PT was sending her a message. The same damned words, she saw with some frustration.

"Act natural my ass." Ann muttered in broken Finnish.

Another call. Haru again. Hecate brushed a hand along the inside of Ann's soulmark. A reminder that she was no longer alone. Even without Ren, she had her friends. Her team.

She picked up.

"Ye-"

"There's a vehicle waiting in the parking garage of your complex. I had someone I trust acquire it in his own name earlier this month. You go home. He'll drive you there. I'm sending you his details, and Futaba's tracking yours and Ren's GPS'. Just in case."

Ann blinked, startled. "Wha-"

"Did you think we'd let you suffer? Either of you?"

Ann didn't answer for long moments, then she spoke softly. "Thank you all. Did Makoto think this up too?"

"This entire thing was her plan from the start. Ren getting hurt was always a possibility, and soulmates heal."

They did that. Enough so that hospitals went to some lengths to work around soulmates whenever possible.

According to Morgana, something about their proximity in the real world increased the amount of energy their Personas could send across the world boundary. According to Futaba, they gained Regeneration 2 whenever they were close enough. Either way had the same result.

"Thank you- Why didn't anyone mention-"

"Your reaction had to look real. You and Ren aren't subtle, even by soulmate standards." Haru said, her voice tinged with sadness. Ann was silent, letting Hecate send her dogs into a snarling rage. 

She knew her acting was poor at times, but really? How dare they.

"We're not done with this one."

"Tomorrow. Go take care of him tonight."

Sojiro didn't bother to look at the door as it opened. "Sorry, we're clo-"

"He's not dead." Ann's words sparked something, as she saw Sojiro turn to look at her. "We'll explain the whole thing once he's up and about."

Ann's phone buzzed and she looked down. Futaba sending an update on the GPS of Ren's phone. Close now. A second message, reconfirming that Mona would stay with Futaba, just in case.

"What the hell's going on?" Sojiro finally got the words out.

"Long version tomorrow. Short and sweet version: Akechi's the asshole who killed Futaba's mom. He tried to kill Ren. We tricked him, but now Ren needs to hide. He's also hurt."

The last word brought Sojiro out of his seat. "I'll get the-"

"Call Takemi. She knows about our work. At least according to Ren she does."

Sojiro gave Ann a long look. Finally he sighed, pulled out his phone, and made the call.

Ten minutes later the front door of LeBlanc opened. Ann, huddled into their booth at the end of the room, shot to her feet.

There he was. Head down and lolling around as though he didn't have the energy to lift it anymore. Bruised and cut up, limping and holding his side in a way Ann didn't like, but her Ren was there. Here. Alive.

She didn't realize she'd started moving until a voice gave her pause.

"Ann Takamaki." Sae said, her voice holding both surprise and knowledge. Ren stirred, but didn't lift his head. Ann looked at her for a moment before nodding. Sae knew who Ann was, she just was surprised to see her here and now. Ann didn't have time for this debate, so she was blunt.

"He's mine. Let's get him upstairs."

Sae's eyebrows winged up, but Ren's head lifted somewhat.

"Ann?" He rasped, then licked his lips and tried again, without much more luck.

She strode to him and slipped under his arm. She wasn't even in the running for physically strongest member of the team, but that didn't matter. Getting Ren up those stairs mattered. With Sae's help Ann was able to maneuver Ren up into the attic loft that was his home.

Sae looked around, surprised at the space. Ann didn't waste time with that, helping Ren to the bed. Once he was seated, she began working on removing the top half of his uniform.

"Takamaki. He needs to rest." Sae's voice held a thread of steel. But Ann had faced literal demons, including that of the woman behind her. She ignored the woman in favor of bearing her soulmate's mark.

Ann felt the keen at the back of her throat. Hecate, meanwhile, exploded into pyroclastic fury.

Someone had obviously realized he was soulmarked. They'd tried to rub it off. Like her love for him was a stain they could wipe clean with enough elbow grease.

The door opened down stairs. Ann's body froze. Her eyes held blue fire and vengeance on anyone who'd hurt Ren again. Sae went down to investigate.

She came back, seconds later, with Dr. Takemi and Sojiro. Both froze. Then Sojiro went to pull Sae aside while Takemi moved straight to Ren.

"Good, you've already go-" Takemi froze as she saw the skin around his soulmark. "Did they try to fucking sandpaper it off?"

The doctor's vicious tone said plenty about her opinion. Her next words said plenty about her competence. "If his can't handle the transfer, we'll use yours. You okay with that?"

Ann was already removing her top. She belatedly remembered Boss was there when he cursed and turned away, walking down the stairs as quickly as his legs could carry him. Then she pushed the issue aside as her soulmark was laid bare in front of Sae Niijima. The prosecutor who's idea of fair play was skewed at best. 

Ann didn't care. What she cared about was carefully arranging Ren. Their bonding was still new enough that it would take direct contact with her mark to invoke the regeneration effect. The barrier between the worlds was not easily overcome, after all. With his head properly cushioned against her mark, Ann watched Takemi work.

It was several minutes later that Takemi spoke up. "So you're one of them too, huh?"

Ann glanced over at Sae who's eyes moved between the scoured mark on Ren's chest, and the one on Ann's own. Her expression was so similar to Makoto's when she was puzzling things out that Ann knew Sae was rearranging puzzle pieces in a thousand different ways.

"Kamoshida drove my best friend to attempt suicide. I, we, robbed him of everything." Was all the explanation Ann gave. She didn't have it in her to say anything else.

Tomorrow, she knew, would begin their vengeance. Tonight she would help her soulmate heal his body.

Who knew how long it would take either of their hearts to heal from this year.

**Author's Note:**

> Not my best perhaps, but I wanted to get this out before end of day (my timezone).


End file.
